Fitness company produces energy gel with real (alcoholic) ale in it

Barbara Craythorn

As winter rolls in, many of us will be faced with a dilemma. Should we stick to the plan, settled upon long ago when the weather was still good and the evenings were long, and get out exercising?

Or should we pack it in and head for the cozy embrace of the local pub?

Luckily some solution-orientated scientists have been locked in the laboratory around the clock to come up with a solution for the barstool-minded endurance cyclist: an ale-flavoured energy gel.

Torq Fitness has revealed a collaboration with Adnans brewery in Southwold, Suffolk: a “Winter Shandy” gel made with real ale.

Made to taste like the familiar Ghost Ship ale, it could theoretically get you drunk, but at 1.2% alcohol content, it would take a lot of 45ml sachets to get anywhere near a buzz.

The company recommends 2 to 3 per hour, which is still barely a splash at the bottom of a pint glass.

It’s not (just) a gimmick either. The gel still contains the same 2:1 maltodextrin and fructose mixture that other, less boozy products contain. So it should work for the last hard miles on the road, if you can keep your head in the game.

Each sachet contains 122 calories worth of energy – another reason why it’s probably wise to stick to regular, liquid ale if you’re purely in it for social purposes.

The company will be debuting the gel at the Cycle Show at Birmingham’s NEC on 22 September before releasing a limited amount to the public